The Operations Execution Gap: Employee Accountability (Part 3 of 4)

By Cassie Ebinger

The success of chain operators is contingent upon field and store employees carrying out key operating procedures. If these critical, customer-facing team members can’t carry the brand the distance — all the way to the finish line —then everyone loses.

Visibility is at the heart of the issue. If restaurant operators can’t see who’s not successful in following protocol, they can’t hold them accountable or coach them to achieve better results.

Only 24 percent of restaurant operators surveyed — less than one in four — report that they’re able to “very effectively” hold their field employees accountable for their work. The numbers were even worse at the store level, with a mere 18 percent of respondents reporting they were able to hold employees working in their stores accountable. So, what’s the answer? Survey findings suggest restaurant operators are investing in mobile technology to help resolve some of their most debilitating operational hurdles.

Restaurant operators can’t be everywhere at once; that’s why they have field and store employees. And, keeping everybody connected is key to driving better outcomes. Perhaps that’s why a whopping 92 percent of those surveyed say that they’ve either started using mobile technology to enable their store operations or have plans to do so in the near future.

Mobile is a potential game changer in an industry where operations are geographically dispersed and real-time communication is so critical. It can help keep every team member responsible for store success connected, empowered, and accountable, equipping every brand and franchise organization to get closer to achieving operations execution excellence.

Some 67 percent of those surveyed reported having at least one tablet in place for back-of-house use in each store, with 21 percent reporting two tablets. Respondents say they currently leverage mobile platforms to tackle a variety of back-of-house operational functions including everything from audits to inventory tracking and employee training.

A well-trained, informed, and empowered customer-facing staff is your most valuable asset. By giving employees the authority to make independent decisions when a situation demands a quick response, you enable them to deliver a consistently great experience for customers — the very thing that keeps people coming back to your store.